Sunsets and Car Crashes
by Bella Regia
Summary: First love should last forever. No matter what. :: AU
1. Prologue

**It blows my mind that I'm still getting favorites and reviews for older works, even when I haven't written in a long, long time. Thanks for sticking around. Copyrights, trademark items, recognizable characters are not mine, I'm just borrowing them for awhile. **

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The fire raged inside. Slowly, it coursed through my veins, razing everything, burning. My head was flung back of its own accord, as a new spasm of pain hit. My teeth were gritted to the point of shattering, but of course they would just repair themselves as the venom rushed through my bloodstream.

Agony. Pure, undiluted agony filled my body from head to toe. My hands grasped uselessly at the air, clawing as though it would do me any good.

Cold hands stilled my own, bringing them close to my body. Quiet murmurs soothed my spirit, although the pain did not abate for a minute. Stone fingers stroked my hair gently, never stopping as my heart pounded its way to its last beat. Fuzzy memories weaved into the present moment, and I struggled to capture them, keep them even as they faded. I could only hold one thought.

_I choose this, and I choose him. _

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**I'm afraid I can't promise regular updates, but the story will continue, that I can swear : ) Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Copyrighted stuff, yada yada yada. Thanks for sticking with me.**

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Sunlight dappled the trees and grass in the clearing. I stepped into the welcoming green circle, warm enough from the hike to my secret place. I peeled off my sweatshirt, the breeze cool on my briefly exposed neck as my hair was pulled up. The wind rifled through the flowers, making them wave and dance only for me. Or so I thought.

A flash of blue and copper caught my eye immediately. There was someone else here. A boy someone.

He stood up when he saw me, hesitating on the edge of the circular meadow. I felt exposed, suddenly shy, but most of all intruded upon. Even though I was technically the interloper this time, I had always felt this secret clearing to be mine and mine alone.

"Hey," he spoke up, finally filling the silence between us, raising his hand awkwardly in greeting.

I didn't know whether to shrug and turn back, and return another day when I was sure to be alone here, but I didn't want to yield. School began the next day, and I wanted this last summer Sunday to relax in the meadow. I sighed and stepped into the circle, waving back in the same awkward way.

"Hey." Very verbose. I stepped gingerly over the violets, trying not to bruise them. I stood three feet away from him, and raised my hands to block the sun's glare. His hair was burnished copper, fiery in the light. He was cute – more than cute. His eyes were green, intense, and still staring at me. I blushed.

"Um, I didn't think anyone else knew about this place."

"Oh, well, I sort of stumbled on it this week while hiking with my family," he said eagerly, apparently not noticing my lack of enthusiasm in his presence. He plopped himself back on the grass, and patted the space next to him. Seriously?

I folded myself awkwardly down next to him, but still keeping my distance. "I used to come here since I was little, with my dad. Before… um, just a long time ago." I had almost let it slip, that telltale _before_, but I didn't know this boy.

"Cool."

The back of my neck prickled, annoyed. _Get out! _I wanted to scream, _leave me alone, I don't even know you. Stop trying to be friendly and shit._

"So what's your name? I'm Edward, by the way. Edward Masen." He held out his hand, held it mid-air, expecting me to shake it. I surprised myself by touching my fingertips to his, before I pulled back at the tiny electric zap that coursed between us.

"Bella. Isabella. But everyone in Forks calls me Bella." So he was one of the elusive Masens.

"Bella… _bellissima_. That's Italian. It means beautiful," he grinned. His cheeks reddened too, but on him it looked natural, cute. Still annoying.

"I know what it means, I'm not an idiot," I huffed. Edward looked crestfallen, and I felt bad. Like a bitch. He was trying so hard to please me, for some reason.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. I just don't think I look the part," I offered a half-hearted smile. "It sounds like you're making fun."

"What, beautiful? You are." Edward smiled again, dazzling; then, to remind me that he was still a teenage boy, he poked my shoulder.

"Ow."

"That did _not _hurt. You big baby."

"Yeah, well, easy there, Anderson."

"Anderson?" He looked nonplussed.

"Anderson Silva? UFC's greatest mixed martial arts fighter." Now my grin was genuine.

"What?" Edward still looked dumbfounded, and I laughed out loud. "How do you know UFC?"

"Charlie—my dad— he watches a lot of ESPN. I like it. There's something strangely cathartic about watching these guys try to beat the crap out of each other and watch their bleeding wounds seep into the octagon." I faltered. "And stuff, you know." That was the most personal information I had shared with anyone. Weird. He would definitely think I was weird for liking such a guy thing. Or weird, period.

"Blood? Seriously?" Edward's smile was back full force, and together we laughed.

The sound shimmered in the late summer light. _Masen… _his name came back to niggle the edges of my memory. His family had recently moved here from Alaska, his father a doctor, his mother an architect, and 4 siblings. All of them were eerily beautiful, pale, and unfailingly polite to everyone. However, they lived secluded from everyone too, in a big house tucked deep into the woods off the highway.

"How are you liking Forks?" I pulled up tufts of straw-like grass, watching the wind pick up the pieces and tumble them away.

"It's okay. Kind of slow." He smiled. "Not that Barrow was party party all the time, but you know."

"Barrow, Alaska. Where's that, exactly?"

"It's the northernmost city in the United States. Like, on the Arctic Ocean north. Further than the Arctic Circle north."

"Are you kidding? You must have frozen your ba— I mean, it sounds freakishly cold!" I caught myself from swearing just in time. I blushed again.

"Yeah, it was cold enough for that," Edward laughed. "But it wasn't so bad, really. You get used to it. Now Forks, it's all rain, rain, rain. It's a wonder you don't all drown."

"I don't mind the rain. It's alright." All things considered, there were worse things to drown in.

A mild breeze picked up, shaking the treetops. The sun hung even lower on the horizon, and I checked my watch. Almost seven.

"Oh, I should go." I hauled myself to my feet, and Edward sprung up as well.

"Do you have to?" He seemed disappointed, and I dampened the tiny welling of hope (hope?) that rose unbidden in my chest.

"Yeah, I have to fix dinner for Char— my dad. I just wanted to catch a few moments to myself, think, before school starts. You know." I wasn't sure whether I had accomplished this, but meeting a stranger in my special place—Edward—hadn't sucked like I thought it would.

"I know what you mean. With so many people hanging around at home, I needed some space." Edward looked like he wanted to say something more, but held back. And I remembered, I was a stranger to him, too.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. See you at school tomorrow I suppose?" I began walking towards the gap in the trees that marked the exit and entrance into the clearing, awkward once more, unsure.

"Yeah, sure. And Bella?" His hands in his pockets, a bit forlorn, shrugging.

"Yeah?"

"You really are—_bellissima._"

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**Irregular, but updated. Thanks for reading.**


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